China cuts flights, bars foreign residents
Foreigners living in China with valid visas and resident permits will be blocked from returning to the country after midnight Saturday
China will drastically cut its international flight routes and bar entry to returning foreigners based in the country to stem the spread of the coronavirus, authorities said on Thursday.
The country has not reported any new domestic COVID-19 infections for two consecutive days but officials have raised concerns about the number of imported cases, which have now surpassed 500.
Foreigners living in China with valid visas and resident permits will be blocked from returning to the country after midnight Saturday, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
“The suspension is a temporary measure that China is compelled to take in light of the outbreak situation,” it added.
The most of the 500 imported infections involved Chinese nationals returning home, according to the foreign affairs ministry.
Diplomats and the crew of international airlines and vessels will still be permitted into the country, according to the statement.
Flights out of China will be capped at just one route a week to each country, with international airlines also permitted only one route. The Civil Aviation Administration of China also said the passenger load on flights in and out of China should not exceed 75 per cent.
The adjusted flight routes are expected to start running from March 29, it added.
All Beijing-bound international flights have been diverted to other urban centres.
Many Chinese cities including Beijing and Shanghai have already imposed a compulsory 14-day quarantine for all arrivals from abroad.
There were nearly 1,100 return international passenger flights scheduled to come to China this week.
China has canceled a UN Security Council meeting scheduled for Thursday in coronavirusstricken New York as it seeks to encourage “votes by writing” while the pandemic rages on, diplomatic sources said Wednesday.
The Security Council, currently chaired by China, has not met since March 12 due to the outbreak and is deeply divided over a proposed declaration on the crisis and holding “virtual” meetings to vote on resolutions.
Council votes are usually taken by a show of hands in the same room, allowing for last minute negotiations between members.
Meanwhile, South Korea warned on Thursday that it will deport foreigners while its citizens could face jail if they violate self-quarantine rules after a surge in imported coronavirus cases.
South Korea has tightened entry rules for travellers from countries suffering big outbreaks, subjecting them to two weeks of mandatory quarantine but at least 11 people violated selfquarantine rules between March 13 and 24, the health ministry said. It did not specify their nationalities.
“We will apply zero-tolerance principles in taking action against those who leave their self-isolation venue without legitimate reasons,” Yoon Tae-ho, director-general for public health policy at the health ministry, told a briefing.
“Foreign nationals will be forcibly repatriated and Korean citizens will be reported to police for due penalties and lose financial support provided for those who have faithfully implemented a 14-day quarantine.” South Koreans who violate the rules could be jailed for up to a year and fined 10 million won ($8,100).
South Korea reported 104 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, including 30 imported one, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said. That brought its total cases to 9,241, with a new death toll of 142, up from 126.
The number of infected travellers arriving in South Korea has grown more than five-fold to 284 over the past two weeks, the KCDC said.
Other countries in Asia, including China and Singapore, have also seen sharp increases in imported cases, threatening their largely successful efforts to get domestic epidemics under control.
Many of those coming back are citizens of those Asian countries who have been studying in Britain and the United States, now leaving as the coronavirus spreads rapidly there and their schools and universities suspend classes.
People arriving in South Korea on long-term visas from Europe must be tested for the virus and spend two weeks in quarantine.